Four
'''Four 'is the fourth album released by One Direction. It was released on November 17, 2014. ''Four reached #1 in 67 countries and was the band's first criticially acclaimed album. After it debuted at #1 in the United States, One Direction became the first band ever to have all four albums debut at number one. It was the ninth best selling album in the US in 2014 and has sold over 3.2 million copies worldwide since 2014. On August 13 2015, Billboard announced the album had sold over a million copies in the USABillboard Tweet. On September 18 2015, bpi Music announced Four had gone double platinum.bpi Tweet Background Writing for the album primarily took place during the ''Where We Are Tour'', and recording sometimes took place in the hotels the band were staying at between concerts. Niall stated in one interview that he recorded his verse for "Clouds" in a bus. In a leaked video of Zayn and Louis from May 2014, Zayn can be heard singing the chorus to "Stockholm Syndrome", indicating writing or production most likely begun in early 2014. The album release was announced on September 8, along with a free download of a track from the album called "Fireproof", which garnered a million downloads in 24 hours. The first single, "Steal My Girl", was released September 29, 2014 and the music video featured Hollywood actor Danny Devito. The second single, "Night Changes"Youtube Night Changes audio, was released on November 14th. Album tracks "Fool's Gold"Youtube Fool's Gold audio, "Where Do Broken Hearts Go"Youtube Where Do Broken Hearts Go audio, "18"Youtube 18 audio, "Ready To Run"Youtube Ready To Run audio, "Girl Almighty"Youtube Girl Almighty audio and "No Control"Youtube No Control audio were put onto the official One Direction Vevo Youtube channel on November 17th. "Act My Age"Youtube Act My Age audio, "Stockholm Syndrome"Youtube Stockholm Syndrome audio, "Change Your Ticket"Youtube Change Your Ticket audio, "Once In a Lifetime"Youtube Once In a Lifetime audio, "Illusion"Youtube Illusion audio and "Clouds"Youtube Clouds audio were also released to YouTube offiically on November 18th. On November 21st, the audio for "Spaces"Youtube Spaces audio was released in the same manner. It was believed "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" would become a single, after the band all claimed it to be a favorite of theirs, and it was performed on X Factor with Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood. It also received moderate radio airplay but was ultimately never released. Singles Steal My Girl cover.png|"Steal My Girl"|link=Steal My Girl Night Changes cover.png|"Night Changes"|link=Night Changes On September 8, 2014, a track titled "Fireproof" was released for free off the band's website for 24 hours only. "Fireproof" was released as a promotional single for the album, and was downloaded 1.1 million times. Fans were disgruntled when it did not become the album's lead single. On September 29, 2014, the album's lead single "Steal My Girl" was released. It was a top 20 single around the world. On October 29, 2014, the second and final single, "Night Changes", was announced. It was a top 30 single around the world. In May 2015, fans worldwide tweeted song requests to radio stations to play unreleased album track "No Control". This was an attempt to emphasise the singing voice and songwriting talent of Louis Tomlinson, who fans felt was often treated unfairly by management and certain music industry figures. Louis sings lead vocal on the track which is unconventional for him. Fans also felt the album had not been promoted fairly, or enough, and wanted to showcase the band's more mature, rock-based sound. The sheer number of requests was so overwhelming that stations began to air the song, with some adding it to their playlists and rotation. At the project's peak, after about 7 days heavy campaigning, over 60 stations worldwide had aired the song, and the band thanked fans numerous times afterward for their efforts. Louis Tomlinson dubbed the project a "fan release" One Direction & James Talk 'No Control' and his mother, Johannah (Jay) Deakin, has spoken numerous times to fans of Louis's joy at seeing the project play out online, saying it was one of his proudest moments. Tracklist Chart Performance Weekly Charts Year - End Charts Additional Credits (Credits taken from Four's liner notes.) * Vocal coach: Helene Horlyck * Album mastered by Tom Coyne at Sterling Sound * Assisted by Randy Merrill * Photography: R.J. Shaughnessy * Design: Fluidesign.co.uk References Category:Studio albums Category:Songs Category:Four songs Category:Four singles Category:One Direction